Single radio switching between multiple wireless links

Abstract

A computing device (such as a computer gaming console) uses only a single radio to concurrently communicate with a wireless network access point and wireless client devices such as game controllers or peripherals. To establish and maintain both a high-throughput link with the access point, and a low-latency link with the client device(s), the single Wi-Fi radio of the computing device is configured to periodically switch between a channel used for the high-throughput link and a different channel that is used for the low-latency link—thus implementing a combination of frequency division multiplexing (FDM) and time division multiplexing (TDM). The console may use aspects of the Wi-Fi protocol standard to ensure that periodically switching its single radio between the two channels is accomplished while maintaining reliable communication on both channels.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A wireless capable device, comprising:
 a wireless interface radio configured to communicate with a first device using a first frequency band and a first series of time allocations, the wireless interface radio configured to also communicate with at least a second device using a second frequency band and a second series of time, the first series of time allocations and the second series of time allocations to be non-overlapping; 
 a wireless interface layer control circuit configured to establish, with the first device, a first wireless communication link associated with a first media access control (MAC) identifier and configured to establish, with the first device, a second wireless communication link associated with a second MAC identifier that appears, to the first device, to identify a different device than the first MAC identifier; and 
 wherein the wireless interface radio is configured to also transmit information identified as coming from the second MAC identifier to prevent the first device from sending a transmission during a second time allocation in which the wireless interface radio communicates with the second device using the second frequency band. 
 
     
     
       2. The wireless capable device of  claim 1 , wherein the first device comprises an access node and the second device comprises a client device. 
     
     
       3. The wireless capable device of  claim 1 , wherein the information identified as coming from the second MAC identifier prevents the transmission by the first device that would start during the second time allocation but not end before an end of the second time allocation. 
     
     
       4. The wireless capable device of  claim 1 , wherein the information identified as coming from the second MAC identifier is configured to constrain a timing that the first device schedules a broadcast frame. 
     
     
       5. The wireless capable device of  claim 1 , wherein the information identified as coming from the second MAC identifier is configured to constrain a timing that the first device schedules a multicast frame. 
     
     
       6. The wireless capable device of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless interface radio is configured to also transmit information identified as coming from a third MAC identifier that is not associated with a wireless communication link with the first device. 
     
     
       7. The wireless capable device of  claim 6 , wherein the information identified as coming from the third MAC identifier is configured to prevent a transmission by the first device during a period of time that the wireless interface radio is configured to communicate with at least one device using the second frequency band. 
     
     
       8. A method of operating a communication system, comprising:
 configuring a wireless interface radio to communicate with an access node using a first frequency band and a first series of time allocations; 
 configuring the wireless interface radio to communicate with at least one client device using a second frequency band and a second series of time allocations, the first series of time allocations and the second series of time allocations to be non-overlapping; 
 establishing, with the access node, a first wireless communication link associated with first media access control (MAC) identifier; 
 transmitting, via the first wireless communication link, a message to the access node that specifies an acknowledgement of the message by the access node; and, 
 in response to not receiving the acknowledgement of the message before a predetermined time, transmitting information using the first frequency band, identified as coming from a second MAC identifier that appears, to the access node, to identify a different device than the first MAC identifier, to prevent the access node from sending a transmission during a second time allocation in which the wireless interface radio communicates with the at least one client device using the second frequency band. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the information is configured to constrain a timing that the access node schedules a broadcast frame. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the information is configured to constrain a timing that the access node schedules a multicast frame. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 receiving from a client device and via the first frequency band and during a time allocation of the second series of time allocations, a retry of a first message that was previously sent by the client device using the second frequency band during the time allocation of the second series of time allocations; and, 
 transmitting, to the client device and via the first frequency band and during the time allocation of the second series of time allocations, a response to the retry of the first message.